COLOMBO: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Wednesday his batsmen needed to be positive against Sri Lanka’s latest spin sensation Ajantha Mendis in the upcoming one-day series.
“He (Mendis) is a bit different and the batsmen need some time to settle in. We have to be positive, but ultimately it comes down to how we play him in the middle,” said the Indian skipper.
The five-match series starts in Dambulla on Aug. 18.
Unorthodox spinner Mendis was a revelation in the recent three-Test series against the tourists, claiming 26 wickets to play a key role in his team’s 2-1 victory.
India’s one-day team also had found Mendis too hot to handle in the only match they played against the Sri Lankan, who claimed six wickets for 13 runs to power his team to an easy win in the Asia Cup final in Karachi last month.
When asked whether the Indian batsmen were now in a better position to handle the Sri Lankan, Dhoni said: “It’s tough to say anything right now, but we know what he have to do. We know our abilities and are quite confident.” Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said Mendis had given the team more bowling options. “After a long time, we have two match-winning spinners. We now have more attacking options,” he said.
Sri Lanka have been relying on veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas in Tests and one-dayers for more than a decade.
“Murali has now got the support he needs and there is also support for Vaas. It’s quite a relief for a captain to have such an option in Mendis. For us, it is always a team game,” said Jayawardene.
“We are not complacent because we know the one-dayers are a very different game. We are confident with the way we are playing and have to make sure we execute our plans as we did in the Tests.” India will be without ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who was ruled out of the one-day series due to an elbow injury sustained during the third and final Test here on Saturday.
“It is always difficult to replace him (Tendulkar) as he contributes not only with his batting and bowling, but also comes out with brilliant suggestions,” said Dhoni.
India will play their only practice match before the one-day series here today.
